Latest news with #Hornstein
Boston Globe
7 days ago
- General
- Boston Globe
‘It's painful' Greater Boston Jewish leaders react to Colorado attack
In connection with Sunday's attack in Boulder, Mohamed Sabry Soliman, 45, faces hate crime charges in federal court and attempted murder and other charges in state court. Soliman had 18 Molotov cocktails but threw just two during Sunday's attack in which he yelled 'Free Palestine,' police said. Advertisement The two incendiary devices he did throw into the group of about 20 people were enough to injure more than half of them, and authorities said he expressed no regrets about the attack. The attack happened at the beginning of the Jewish holiday of Shavuot and barely a week after a man who also yelled 'Free Palestine' was charged with fatally shooting two Israeli Embassy staffers outside a Jewish museum in Washington. Rabbi Naomi Gurt Lind, of Temple Ahavat Achim in Gloucester, said the Colorado attacks 'reaffirms what we already know.' Advertisement 'We're living in very serious times,' she said. 'It's a very scary time for the Jewish community.' But, she said, 'We're a resilient people. ...We hold onto one another in hope.' Elsewhere in Gloucester, Eliran Boraks, who was born in Israel and served in the military there, said the recent attacks were 'very troubling, but not surprising.' 'Since Oct. 8, the day after the Hamas attack, you had all these groups saying 'It's Israel's fault,' and this was even before Israel retaliated,' said Boraks. He said, 'when you see people cheering against us, that shows where the wind is blowing.' 'It's creating this atmosphere where this kind of hatred of Jews is accepted, so it's not surprising when you have these people who live in an echo chamber online, who are a little coocoo, and they get to the point where they're using violence against any Jewish person.' The atmosphere is such now that if Boraks wore a kippah in downtown Boston, 'I'd be looking behind me,' he said. Rebecca Hornstein, executive director of the Workers Circle in Brookline, a community that embraces secular Judaism, called Sunday's deadly attack on a Jewish rally in Boulder 'horrific' and 'morally reprehensible.' 'Our hearts are with the Boulder Jewish community,' she said. 'We know this attack has caused a lot of fear in Jewish communities around the country, including ours.' Hornstein also voiced concern that the Trump administration may use the attack as a pretext to crack down on civil liberties. 'We carry an extra fear of how some politicians might use this attack to target immigrants, movements for justice, and democracy itself,' she said. Advertisement According to Hornstein, the Workers Circle, a social justice organization, has a diverse range of perspectives on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and has spent the past 19 months organizing both for the release of the hostages and a ceasefire to end what she described as the 'unspeakable destruction, violence, and hunger' in Gaza. In the wake of Hamas's Oct. 7 attack on Israel and a subsequent rise in antisemitic incidents across the United States, many Jewish institutions have increased security, especially during holidays like last Sunday's Shavuot, when attacks are more likely, Hornstein said. At the Workers Circle, the approach to security looks different. Rather than employing armed guards, the group relies on volunteer safety teams, including members from non-Jewish partner organizations, to monitor entrances during the Jewish High Holidays and other events. Hornstein said the surge in antisemitic violence over the past two years has spread fear and uncertainty in her community. But the Workers Circle, she said, tries to balance protecting Jewish safety with avoiding what she called a 'fortress mindset,' which can allow antisemitism to isolate Jewish communities from broader society. 'We want to protect our communities and ensure they're safe,' Hornstein said. 'But we also want to stay open and welcoming, and keep building community with our neighbors.' Jewish leaders are not alone in condemning the attack. Nichole Mossalam, former executive director for the Islamic Society of Boston Cambridge and a leader in local Muslim communities, said she found the Colorado attack disturbing. 'My answer as a human being is violence begets violence,' she said. 'It's a vicious cycle that we've locked ourselves to.' In a statement, Boston-based Combined Jewish Philanthropies said, 'In what is becoming a terrifying pattern for American Jews, we are once again shocked, saddened, and outraged at a 'targeted terror attack' in Boulder, Colorado.' Advertisement The group's statement added, 'Our hearts are with the Jewish community of Boulder, and we pray for the victims and their families.' Material from The Associated Press was used in this report. Danny McDonald can be reached at
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Eastern Mass. college creates new scholarship for laid-off federal workers
If you are a federal worker who has been recently laid off, your luck could soon be changing. Brandeis University is offering full scholarships to recently laid-off federal workers through its Hornstein Jewish Professional Leadership Program, according to a Monday announcement. 'These scholarships reflect our deep respect for individuals who have dedicated their careers to the public good,' said Liora Norwich, director of the Hornstein Program. 'We are proud to offer this opportunity to build new leadership pathways for those who wish to now serve the Jewish community.' The announcement comes after mass firings from the Trump administration as it consolidates departments, such as the Department of Education. Applicants can choose to pair their degree from Hornstein with a Masters of Public Policy or Masters of Business Administration, according to the university. They must apply for the in-person Massachusetts program for the Fall 2025 semester. It is 'limited to two students maximum,' according to the institution. Read more: Fired Lowell federal worker talks about what is lost in mass firings To be eligible, applicants must have been laid off since January 1, 2025, or have recently been given written notice of dismissal. Previously admitted or enrolled Hornstein students are not eligible and must not have outstanding financial obligations to the University. The applications are open for Fall 2025. Interested candidates must apply by July 1 for scholarship consideration. An application doesn't guarantee that the scholarship will be offered. Town vote paves the way for new uses for closing Western Mass. college Lawsuit against Trump balloons in size as foreign students face rising risks 'My face was on the ... truck': Harvard report details climate of fear for pro-Palestine students 'Willing to capitulate': Cracks emerge in Harvard's resistance to Trump over DEI Harvard hands over foreign student info to feds amid threat from Trump admin Read the original article on MassLive.
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Pittburgh city council member, frustrated residents want help from Gov. Shapiro in cleaning up trash
Residents from Pittsburgh's Knoxville community expressed their concerns about illegal dumping and its impact on their neighborhood during a news conference held by City Council member Bob Charland on Tuesday morning. 'It's deeply troubling that we are forced to live in such filthy and unsafe conditions. These aren't isolated instances; this is systematic dumping,' one resident said. Charland, who represents District 3, stated that the trash situation has escalated to a crisis level throughout the city. In recent years, Pittsburgh has only declared a state of emergency for major events, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, the Fern Hollow Bridge collapse and the Second Avenue Commons shelter fire last year. 'Today, I am calling on Governor Shapiro to declare Pittsburgh's trash situation a state of emergency,' Charland said at the news conference. However, Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey strongly disagreed with Charland's request for assistance and held a separate news conference with Director of Public Works Chris Hornstein. 'To ask a governor to deal with a garbage situation that we are already addressing doesn't make any sense at all,' Mayor Gainey said. Hornstein mentioned that in 2024, the administration supported more than 337 volunteer cleanup events. He also noted that the current budget includes the addition of eight new anti-litter inspectors and an allocation of $465,000 for a new cleanup program, which the city council has approved. 'Just this year, the city council authorized over $400,000 for the neighborhood assistance program administered by the Department of Public Safety, and that work is beginning this month in Homewood,' Hornstein said. When asked about the neighborhood assistance program, Charland admitted he was unfamiliar with it. Although several council members acknowledged that trash is a significant issue in the city, they did not support the idea of a declaration of emergency. Ultimately, Council President Dan Lavelle suggested changing the wording to remove the term 'state of emergency.' Charland agreed, and the revised request now asks the governor to help supplement the city's efforts in removing trash from public and private land. The new request reads: 'The Council of the City of Pittsburgh calls on the Governor to render essential the Commonwealth's supplementation of municipal resources to remove trash debris from publicly and privately owned land and to restore public health in our most livable city.' Channel 11 News will continue to follow this developing story. Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW
Yahoo
30-01-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Nick Ut Lawyer Plans Defamation Lawsuit Against ‘The Stringer' Filmmakers Over Napalm-Girl Photo Flap: ‘Just Not Credible'
A lawyer representing Nick Ut, the AP photographer credited with the iconic 'Napalm Girl' image that turned the tide of the Vietnam War, says he is facilitating a defamation lawsuit against the filmmakers of 'The Stringer,' the Sundance documentary claiming that it was a local shooter who actually took the Pulitzer-winning image in 1972. In a statement provided to TheWrap, James Hornstein, who is representing Ut pro-bono, says a third-party lawfirm is prepping the case against VII Foundation, whose documentary sets out to prove that the image was actually captured by Nguyen Thanh Nghe, a freelancer and a driver for NBC during the war. Nghe, who said 'I took the photo' during an audience Q&A after the film was screened in Park City, and former AP Saigon photo editor Carl Robinson are key figures in the documentary. Hornstein says Robinson has harbored a grudge against the AP for more than 50 years over his forced relocation and eventual firing by the news collective, and presented testimony from other eyewitnesses – many of whom have since died – attesting to Ut's photo credit. 'A defamation action will soon be filed against the filmmakers to correct this outrageous decision by VII Foundation to provide Carl Robinson a platform for his 50-year vendetta,' Hornstein wrote in the statement. 'Having waited 52 years to come forward, after the passing of virtually all the eye witnesses who would have disputed his claim, is the claim entitled to be believed? Our response is NO!!' VII Foundation did not have an immediate statement regarding Hornstein's assertions Wednesday night. Hornstein also supplied a lengthy statement from Kim Phuc, the still-living girl in the photo, who says Ut took the photo – and also transported her and her then-5-year-old brother to a hospital that day when no one else would. 'I have been made aware that there is a film … embracing Carl Robinson's mean and untrue claim that Nick Ut is not the man who took the Pulitzer photo known as 'Napalm Girl,'' she writes. 'It is the photo of me, Phan Thi Kim Phuc, a naked nine-year-old girl, running towards the camera … I have refused to participate in this outrageous and false attack on Nick Ut raised by Mr. Robinson over the past years and never responded to his email requesting that I talk with him. I hope he finds peace in his life.' Phuc adds that she was in shock and her memory contains only 'flitting images' of the harrowing moment, but relatives 'have all verified to me they saw Nick, who was the only photojournalist who ran ahead towards me who took the photo. Additionally, my uncle was the person who begged Nick and his AP driver to take me to the nearest hospital … My uncle told me through the years that no one offered to take me and other burn victims since most wanted to head back to Saigon before dusk for fear of Vietcong ambush and gunfire attacks on the road. It was only Nick who agreed to my uncle's pleas.' Hornstein also supplied a letter-to-the-editor written in 1989 by NBC correspondent Arthur Lord and published by the Los Angeles Times three years before his death, calling Ut's credit 'well-deserved.' Lord was being driven on the day of the bombing by Nghe, who now claims credit for the photograph. 'Surely if Arthur Lord's driver had taken the photo, he'd have known it and, as a fierce competitor with AP, he'd have put it forward,' Hornstein wrote. 'Carl Robinson's 50-year vendetta against Nick Ut [and the AP] is just not credible. His animus toward Nick and toward AP is well known and is well documented in his own book and his emails to others, copies of which I have.' The panel following 'The Stringer,' directed by Bao Nguyen, also featured Robinson, who said he's carried the truth about who shot the image ever since its publication. 'I didn't want to die before this story came out,' he said. The AP said Sunday that it was not able to speak with its former employee or Nguyen unrestricted, or review other relevant materials, but was open to doing so. 'We continue to reiterate what we have said all along – and said publicly last week: AP stands ready to review any and all evidence and new information about this photo. To do so, the filmmakers would have to lift the restriction they placed on all their contributors who signed non-disclosure agreements. … We cannot state more clearly that The Associated Press is only interested in the facts and a truthful history of this iconic photo.' The post Nick Ut Lawyer Plans Defamation Lawsuit Against 'The Stringer' Filmmakers Over Napalm-Girl Photo Flap: 'Just Not Credible' appeared first on TheWrap.
